MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Democratic candidate for state governor Stacey Abrams rolled through Milledgeville Thursday on her "Let's Get it Done" tour.
13WMAZ’s Jessica Cha went to see what Abrams had to say and why folks showed up to support her.
A chant of “One Georgia, one Georgia'' could be heard among the hundreds of supporters. Several anti-abortion protesters also showed up, but Abrams greeted everyone.
"I'm running for governor for the whole state of Georgia, even the folks who want to lift their voices to drown me out,” Abrams says.
She explains that the state needs a governor who will stand by them, and says Governor Brian Kemp has failed Georgians in many ways.
"We need a governor who understands that health care belongs to every Georgian, not just the wealthy and the powerful,” Abrams says. “This is a governor who, in order to win a primary, made it easier for dangerous people to carry a weapon in the state of Georgia.”.
Abrams says that as governor, she will have the backs of teachers, students, veterans, and people of color.
“With the right governor, you will have financial aid in your accounts by 2023. I'm gonna increase the starting salary to $50,000 and give every teacher an $11,000 pay raise,” she says.
Mayor Mary Parham Copelan says she supports Abrams 100%.
"Being a highly elected Democrat here, it is very important to see another female come to our town that is also running for a high position,” Parham Copelan says. “It encourages other women that, yes, you can do it. Just go out there and do it!”
Other folks attending said Abrams really connected with them.
"When she was talking about her goal to restore the healthcare rights of women, I was really empowered by that,” says Kylie Rowe, a junior at Georgia College and State University.
“Yeah, she said a man messed it up, and a woman's going to fix it up,” said Tiffany Hawkins, a recent graduate of Georgia College.
“I'm just appalled by Kemp's open carry law,” says Bill Worts, a longtime resident of Milledgeville. “I can't bring myself to vote for Kemp.”
Stacey Abrams says she also hopes to make technical colleges in Georgia free for all folks again.